ENGR403-21S1 (C) Semester One 2021

Fire Engineering

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 22 February 2021
End Date: Sunday, 27 June 2021
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 7 March 2021
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 14 May 2021

Description

Introduction to Fire Engineering. Fire ignition, flame spread and flame height. The performance of construction materials and fire resistance. People movement and behaviour during fires. Fire detection, suppression and smoke extract systems. Wildland fires, fire investigation, fire-fighting.

Learning Outcomes

This course provides an introduction to fire engineering. The course is generally required for students who are looking to pursue the Masters of Engineering in Fire Engineering (MEFE) / Masters of Engineering Studies in Fire Engineering (MEngSt(Fire)) post-graduate degrees. The course aims to

(a) provide an understanding of the hazards of fires in buildings and the dynamics of fire development;
(b) describe the performance of building materials and structures in fire;
(c) develop knowledge of the active and passive fire protection measures available to building designers;
(d) examine how people behave in fire situations and
(e) cover other fire science and engineering topics of interest such as wildfires, fire-fighting, etc.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Director of Studies

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Andres Valencia

Lecturers

Anthony Abu , Daniel Nilsson and Dennis Pau

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Assignment (x4) 30%
final exam 50%
Test 20%


The test will cover the first two modules (Introductory topics in fire engineering and Fire dynamics). The final exam covers all modules. Please note that:

1. You cannot pass this course unless you achieve a mark of at least 40% in the final exam.

2. Assignments must be completed in pairs; the same grade will be given to both people except in exceptional circumstances. Working in groups larger than pairs is not permitted and the rules regarding plagiarism remain in place.

 Assignments must be submitted as a single complete document. A collection of spreadsheets etc. is not acceptable and unacceptable submissions will be returned unmarked.

 You should describe your problem, your approach, properly reference any literature that you consult etc.

 Assignments can be typed or handwritten so long as they are legible.

 Correct use of English, appropriate units etc. are required.

3. There will be a mid-term test. The test will cover material covered in the first two modules (Introductory topics in fire engineering and Fire dynamics) and students will be given a formula sheet for the test.

4. The final exam will be a 3-hour examination. The final exam will cover all of the course material. All information needed for the exam will be provided.

5. Students in this course can apply for special consideration for impaired performance provided they have sat the test, the final exam or both. Approved requests for Special Consideration will be considered following the department policy.

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

James G. Quintiere; Principles of FIRE BEHAVIOR ; Boca Raton, 2016.

Karlsson, Bjorn. , Quintiere, James G; Enclosure fire dynamics ; CRC Press, 2000.

Spearpoint, Michael. , New Zealand Centre for Advanced Engineering; Fire engineering design guide ; 3rd ed; New Zealand Centre For Advanced Engineering, 2008 (CD can also be purchased from the Dept).

•  You will be given access to an electronic copy of the Fire Engineering Design Guide (3rd ed.) and you will be expected to read parts of the textbook as part of the course,
•  A useful recommended text is “Quintiere J G. Principles of Fire Behavior, Delmar Publishing”, ~$US130 from Amazon. Copies of this book will be available on 3-hour loan in the library,
•  Lecture handouts and online podcasts will generally be made available during the course on Learn.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,114.00

International fee $5,500.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Civil and Natural Resources Engineering .

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